MK Stalin – A peek into his life :
With the rays of the sun, MK Stalin wakes up to start the day with his brisk morning walk at the IIT(M) campus. There is something in the air at that time of the day in the lush greenery, where spotting a deer in the middle of the city is a common sight. It definitely evokes a kind of kindred with the city and its people. And with that thought of what he can do to this place he calls home, and what the city has done for him, MK Stalin muses and begins his day.

He is a simple man who like any other takes great pleasure in playing with his grandchildren, chatting up with friends, and eating a home cooked meal specially laid out by his wife. But his greater need is always to serve the people of Tamil Nadu and there is no denying that his achievements thus far, stand testimony to this.

Close to half-a-century later, MK Stalin is content with his accomplishments so far… but does it ever stop? Not in this ever evolving State of Tamil Nadu where developments lead to more developments, social changes call for more changes and where culture meet and churn out more traditions. But MK Stalin is ready as always to meet these challenges, as to him it’s a place close to his heart and which holds the future of the Tamil- a word which has many meanings and symbolizes its people, its language and its culture!

MK Stalin – Statesman or a Leader :
MK Stalin has emerged over the years as a valued leader, with Statesman-like qualities.

What are the qualities that define good leadership? – Practical intelligence, Social intelligence and Emotional intelligence. Practical intelligence is the ability to take control of a situation or work towards creating situations that will help supporters move forward in the direction they’d like to. Social intelligence is one’s ability to interact successfully with others; having a good grasp of social situations and processes. Knowing what to say, when and how to package it, according to the dictates of a situation is social intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to stay connected with people at an emotional level.

MK Stalin is a rare mix of all the three traits, in the right proportions, helping him strike a balance between being a Statesman and a Leader.
He has an innate knack to assess the minds, ambitions and priorities of his followers. He has often displayed his sense of appreciation to all those small things in life of his followers.

What makes him unique is his ability to see through who is the best person for a job and assign it to them, giving them the autonomy to execute the job and be the first person to praise them in public for their work, or admonish them in private if it is not done well. Not many have been unfortunate enough to be in the latter situation. His charisma the sincerity with which he connects with people, and his own tireless style of working inspires his followers to give their best.

How does he manage to command a large following, wherever he goes? Why do people congregate to take his word as the gospel truth?
It is said that followers choose to be led. There is an inseparable thread of shared values and beliefs of the members of the DMK who eagerly look forward to MK Stalin as their leader who understands their minds, their ambitions and the way they want to be led.

At the end of the day, leadership is one’s ability to get others to willingly follow. Statesmanship is the ability to take this goodwill to excellence in governance.
MK Stalin scores high on both the accounts.